“I wonder how many times you’ve been had
And I wonder how many plans have gone bad”

And I wonder why have we never heard of this man before? His music is arguably as good as Bob Dylan’s, Donovan’s, even Paul Simon’s…well, that’s my opinion anyway! This man is only known to his fans as Rodriguez, a Mexican-American songwriter from inner city Detroit. He was discovered in the late sixties by two producers who recorded his first album: Cold Fact, the album flopped in his native America but was proven to be hugely influential in South Africa, with many liberal white South Africans stating it influenced them to question the strict establishment of the government; hence the anti-apartheid movement. It was so popular even with limited radio play due to censorship of his popular songs such as Sugar Man – a song about drug use.

He was considered bigger than Elvis Presley or even The Rolling Stones…but no one knew anything about him until rumors spread round South Africa like wild fire that Rodriguez had committed suicide. It is here in the documentary where two South African fans, a journalist and a record store owner set out to discover what happened to him and why his music didn’t sell as well anywhere else in the world.

A beautiful, moving, uplifting film, Searching For Sugar Man is by far one of the most extraordinary documentaries and deserved winner at the Oscars! It makes you wonder why you never heard of this man ever before. His songwriting is astonishingly true to the word and reflects on what life is like in poverty. Bendjelloul captures the time of a man in poverty who just wanted to show the world the inner city and his reflections on social issues of the era. I highly recommend to watch this!

Rodriguez’s music brings us closer together in awe! I’m proud to say I now have the soundtrack!